With a container sealed with a puncturable stopper, it is difficult to add material thereto once the container is sealed. Material can be added to the diluent within the container by puncturing the stopper with the needle of a syringe and injecting the material within the syringe into the container. However, such a procedure is not very desirable for a number of reasons such as the possibility of coring of the stopper material by the needle whereby particles of the material may enter the syringe. While containers sealed by a puncturable stopper can be employed for a number of purposes or uses, such containers are quite commonly used for the packaging of medical solutions.
Oftentimes, in medical procedures for example, it is necessary to prepare a solution of a medicament by adding the medicament to sterile water or to another solution. In situations wherein the additive medicament exhibits some instability when in solution, the final solution cannot be prepared in final form since such solutions cannot be stored for sufficiently long enough periods to provide for handling and shipping of the premixed solution. In such cases, it is necessary to mix the additive medicament and sterile water or other diluent just prior to use. With medical solution containers incorporating a screw type enclosure, addition of the medicament can be accomplished by simply removing the screw cap, adding the medicament, and mixing the solution. However, most medical solutions are presently packaged in glass or plastic containers with the container being sealed by a puncturable closure or stopper. Consequently, specially designed packages are required in order to add medicaments to such containers, particularly if they are sealed under a vacuum.
Various additive containers are presently available, such as illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 3,055,367 issued Sept. 25, 1962. With such containers, which include a piercing member for entry through the puncturable closure of the solution bottle, transfer of the medicament within the container is made by piercing the stopper in the solution bottle whereupon the vacuum therein will draw the medicament within the container into the bottle. Where the medicament is in powder form or the solution container is not under vacuum however, such containers do not ensure complete transfer of the powdered medicament into the solution bottle. Further, with such containers, in order to withdraw a portion of the mixed solution from the solution container, it is necessary to completely withdraw the additive container and enter the closure by means of a syringe to withdraw the desired amount of mixed solution. Entry of a needle through the closure raises the possibility of coring of the stopper material by the needle whereby particles of the material may enter the syringe. Further, after repeated entry through the stopper, there is a possibility of creating a hole or passageway through the stopper which could result in contamination of the solution within the container.